i really enjoyed this book - often confusing with characters and some Yiddish terms but the mystery plowed right on through. really enjoyed the descriptions and characters and felt pulled in from the first - although it didn't get "compelling" to me until after 100 pages. our group - many jewish women (i am not) - had a rousing discussion that veered off on many other sub-discussions. We enjoyed herring during the meeting, too!

This is, at first blush, a "fluff book" - however, that being said, not only is it an easy-breezy read, it's got some miraculous depth - a few laugh-out-loud spots and many whooshing-to-the-heart, touching moments that caused a little tear to fall. Is it "spiritual/sacred"? Is it "secular"? YOU decide. AND if you've read other Lorna Landvik books, you'll be so pleased to see what a lovely and strong job she does of creating a MALE narrator, Joe - a really, really nice guy. Our book group REALLY liked these people - some were more shallow than previous works - but I believe they,as characters/people were more shallow - ergo, how they appear on Landvik's pages ... Definitely a great discussion - plus, there's loads of little food hints in the book that make for good noshing at the discussion table! :)

I'd also obtained Lorna's DVD which we used in the discussion group and it was fun to see her - quite a lovely and funny Scandanavian gal - UffDa, girl - i'm Norwegian, too! :) Tak!

Everyone in our group enjoyed reading this book which fueled us for a very rich discussion. WE are a very diverse gathering of women so had many nuggets and tales to offer. We used discussion questions from Book Movement and from Random House - and enjoyed thematic treats (American, Korean and Middle Eastern) during the evening.

For a discussion among folks who live in communities of diversity, this is a GREAT book - as we each have had our own rich experiences that cross cultures. We also have run into folks - diversity aside - who have similiar personalities to all the characters and, at the core, we really aren't all that different.

The one thing that bugged us - and we ALL noted it - was that at Chapter 9, the narrator/voice changed - and while it didn't "bother" us to the point of annoyance - we just couldn't figure out WHY - what was the purpose? Maybe we're all clueless and missed some major literary craft/technique but it seemed "huh?" as we read. We shared that we'd all stopped, went back to see if we missed something and then went on. What WAS that, Anne Tyler?

We have enjoyed other of her books and like her writing. Her characters are believable and the storylines so probable. Thank you.

Year of Wonders is a creepily delicious book. the story is quite riveting and, once one can get used to the rhythm of the older language, it really draws you in. alas, it's about the plague, so "it ain't pretty" - but it's a strong story filled with loads of twists and turns and a bit of gross stuff, too. alas, the ending was a little weaker than the rest of the book and while it had its smack of "happily ever after", it also left us with many unanswered questions. which, actually, helped fuel the discussion. i highly recommend this historical novel by a powerful journalist.

GSaW - is it REALLY the first or the second book of Harper Lee? SO autobiographical - SO rich for discussion based on civil rights times, geographics, demographics and the ever-amazing character of Scout/Jean Louise Finch, her sage-wise father and her amazingly to-the-point uncle. it was a compelling read and our group ran longer than usual with many comments & contributions